Ogona Anita
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE CROWN OF ENGLAND MEET IN PRAYER FIVE CENTURIES AFTER THE SPLIT [23RD OCTOBER 2025]
King Henry VIII wrote to Pope Clement VII in 1527, asking for permission to annul his marriage so he could remarry.
The Pope, in his reply, forbade the king from remarrying, or he would be excommunicated from the Church.
King Henry ignored the letter and the Pope’s authority. He married Anne Boleyn (and four other women).
He severed all ties with Rome and founded his own church: Church of England, also known as the Anglican Church.
He declared himself head of the Church of England and dissolved monasteries and abbeys, for which he was excommunicated by the Pope.
In 1534, the Church of England officially separated from the Catholic Church.
Today, October 23, 2025, King Charles and Pope Leo XIV prayed together in the Sistine Chapel. It is a historic moment for the two churches, as it is the first joint service between an English monarch and a Catholic pope since King Henry VIII’s break with Rome almost 5 centuries ago.
Before the coronation of King Charles III in 2023, Pope Francis presented him with “two shards of the cross, known as the “True Cross”, to be incorporated into a crucifix to be used at the coronation.”
Funny enough, some African Christians still discriminate against each other because of the division their ancestors knew nothing about. Meanwhile, those who started the fight have reconciled.
If you, as an African, still discriminate along religious or ideological lines—except for ideologies that threaten human life—you no get sense at all.
Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu
